Doctor Doom Warns: “World War III Will Occur In the Next Five Years”

Well known economist, trend forecaster and Gloom, Boom and Doom Report publisher Dr. Marc Faber joined some of the world’s leading investment minds at the Barron’s 2012 Roundtable to discuss what’s in store for 2012 and beyond with respect to the economy, inflation, political stability and a host of other issues.

As is generally the case, Dr. Faber doesn’t mince words and warns that, despite what happens in the near term, the end game is global conflict.

Marc Faber: On another optimistic note, World War III will occur in the next five years. That means the Middle East will blow up. New regimes there will be less Western-friendly. The West has also figured out it can’t contain China, which is rising rapidly and will have more military and naval power in Southeast Asia. The only way for the West to contain China is to control the oil tap in the Middle East.

Bill Gross (Founder, Pimco): How does your World War III hypothesis affect the financial markets? Is it positive for stocks?

Marc Faber: It is very positive for stocks and negative for bonds, because debt will grow dramatically. There will be massive monetization of debt. When the U.S. entered World War II total credit equaled 140% of GDP, and there were no unfunded liabilities. Now total credit-market debt is 380% of GDP, and unfunded liabilities make that 800%.

Brian Rogers (Chairman, T. Rowe Price): How is World War III good for stocks?

Felix Zulauf (Zulauf Asset Management): Unused capacity in an economy can be directed to the defense and war industry. That will be paid for by new government debt, and that keeps the economy growing.

Scott Black (President, Delphi): Marc, if Israel strikes Iran’s nuclear facilities, they will use air power. They aren’t going to commit ground troops. It won’t be the kind of conflagration you’re thinking.

Bill Gross: War takes place today in cyberspace and in terrorist space. Whether or not there will be a land war isn’t the question.

Dr. Faber has also expressed his views on prior occasions, suggesting that World War III is an inevitable outcome when nations begin to default on trillions of dollars worth of debt (whether by refusing to pay or simply easing their monetary supply).

In August of 2010 Faber urged his subscribers to begin making preparations for worst case scenarios:

In his latest GBD Report, Faber again advises those with the means to do it, to leave urban areas and seek safety in rural, country areas, preferably farms, and to be prepared to defend that land in the event the worst happens:

Faber has an interesting suggestion for investors if the plunge comes to pass.

With tongue apparently in cheek, he says buy a farm you can tend to yourself way out in the boondocks. And protect it with high voltage fences, barbed wire, booby traps, military weapons and Dobermans.

While several members of the Roundtable disagree with the idea that a conventional global war is out of the question, suggesting instead that conflicts will be dealt with through air superiority and in cyberspace (in itself a potentially catastrophic battlefield for modern civilization), they are ignoring the real possibility that an attack on Iran, or even a rogue attack against Europe or the United States, could escalate to such a level that China or Russia would have no choice but to get involved.

While hard to believe, we’ve seen it before. Twice just in the last century.

Not many people would have believed it prior to 1914 either. But within just a few short months of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in late June of that year, millions were dead and the Western front had extended hundreds of miles across Europe to the North Sea.

Events played out with similar velocity in World War II when Adolf Hitler’s aptly named Blitzkrieg (Lightning War) overtook entire nations in a matter of days.

It only takes one country, one sociopathic leader with his finger on the button, to get the ball rolling. Then there is no stopping it.

Copyright Information: Copyright SHTFplan and Mac Slavo. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in digital form with full attribution to the author and a link to www.shtfplan.com. Please contact us for permission to reproduce this content in other media formats.

Well, I’m not too sure about “forever”. Thankfully, humans are still imperfect enough that tyrannies tend to fall apart after a (relatively) short while.

There was an article on future (100 year) predictions at Slashdot yesterday; one of the predictions involved the breakup of the United States. Now one would think that after the Civil War, such things would be settled, and I agree with that sentiment. I don’t see any kind of formal break-up happening.

What I do see is a fairly rapid falling-apart at the seams, due to the increasingly unsustainable situation of spending more than we take in. It’s started to hit an exponential curve, and I doubt that productivity and economic growth could actually keep up with it. Meanwhile, politicians continue to push the problem down the road beyond the next election… and it never gets fixed. I suggest that within this decade, we’ll be along the same path as Greece, just that we won’t have anyone to bail us out, and we’ll take the whole planet down with us.

Given the population, this in turn is going to break civilization entirely.

Will the politicians manage to fix things in time? I wouldn’t bet on it.

The virtual breakup… or Balkanization of America has already occurred. All that’s left is to actually redraw the lines on the map. The Federal Gov’t is an unrepairable basket case but some state and local governments can still be fixed.

Really? A nation that surgically aborts 1 million babies and chemically aborts uncountable millions every year is “under God”? A national that starts pre-emptive wars and kills millions is “under God”? A nation that promotes sodomy, materialism, and usury is “under God”?

What does “God” have to do with anything. This is a country of religious freedom. Only the ego of Christians believe everyone is “under God.” And it’s only religious nostalgia that allows that crap to remain on coins, currency, etc…

Open ur eyes: ppl when will (we) realize that the only way (we) r going to find out the” TRUTH” is if( we) open r eye’s to the facts & stop turning a blind eye. (We) kill & say its under “God”so it must b OK right?u could never b so wrong in ur life. Think about it. God loves life & creation so why would he want us 2 kill any person/s or destroy any thing.He wouldn’t, but look @ what (we) do under his name when I say (we) i mean the (Homo-sapien species) when I say GOD I mean ur religion. I’m not knocking any 1s God around all I’m saying is i would think that the true maker would want us to get along & love one another as if we were all from the same family (my brothers, sisters & children)

Your point would be far more effective if you were to actually take the time to type out words and use correct spelling and grammar. The fact that you were in too much of a hurry to post this to use actual words and proper grammar shows that you really don’t care. also the use of parenthesis every time you use the word we is incorrect and unnecessary.

The big difference between this war and prior wars is that this time we are fighting for oil. No country can live without it and we have run out of time to find a substitute. If there is a winner, they win big. The losers will have massive depopulation.

red leader
no you are wrong.. what you are saying just is.. all the previous wars have been for oil…. this one is not….it will cause the price of oil to skyrocket…. its purely ego of world le\aders and other ptb…if you think youre gonna get a nice light show from this war while you survive nuclear fallout….youre wrong.

Off a bit of a tangent for me.
I would suggest everyone dust off your copy of DUNE by frank herbert and I don’t mean the movie.
Substitue spice for oil and overlay the story over current events.
Then draw your own conclusions.

I disagree that it’s about oil. We don’t take enough in from most countries in that region to make it worth the price in blood. The biggest mideast producer of oil bought by the US, Saudi Arabia, is something like 3rd on the US list of foreign oil importers.

No, I believe it’s about ideology, and the containment/control of radical Islam. Of course, trying to keep a religion in check is not a politically comfy thing to state, so it becomes more expedient to say it’s about oil, I suspect.

OQ: Think about it this way. There is no surplus oil production, it is all being purchased. If disruption of the oil supply occurs anywhere in the world, it affects every country and they have to compete for whats left. This is why any oil embargo of Iran is wishful thinking. Production is barley meeting demand. Embargo of Iran’s oil would have to result in increased production elsewhere. Where is that going to take place? We are all eating from the same pot.

I agree that the whole oil market is fungible (that is, taking from one means taking from all, and vice-versa).

On the other hand, we haven’t bought a single drop from Iran since 1979, Iraq is putting out far less than before we invaded it, and Afghanistan doesn’t produce any oil at all (neither does Palestine/Israel).

There are some other factors in play as well. We sell most (if not all) of the oil we ourselves pump out of Alaska to Japan and Korea because it’s economically cheaper to do so. Most of our domestic direct crude production (Oklahoma, Texas, California, etc) is capped or sitting idle because it’s cheaper to get the crude elsewhere (it does make sense, but explaining why would take too long). Oil sands/shale has plenty more, but the cost of extracting that is higher (currently) than simply buying the imported bits.

Overall, I think it’s more about the costs of oil than the availability at this point. That will certainly change, especially in the next 50 years or so (barring a TEOTWAWKI event), but not yet.

OQ, I agree with your 2nd paragraph and find it very well put. Yet, I see everything is to draw our attention away from our own problems (i.e. DC). WWIII has already begun “the war on our freedoms” and especially the removal of christianity from the supposed free nations.

“…and especially the removal of christianity from the supposed free nations.”

This part is happening on two fronts anyway: The first prong comes from socialism and atheistic folks, while the second (especially in Europe) is coming from the Islamic immigrant community. No conspiracy required, which is unfortunate, because it’d be far easier to dismantle a cabal than it is to nullify two large and determined movements.

OQ: You are correct. It is not now, and it will not be about oil later. It is about ideology. WE could be self sufficient in hydrocarbons and alt energy in a very short time in the USA.

The US has the technology and the resources to be totally self sufficient in energy and export that energy too, but as long as the Dual Citizens control DC they will focus OUR attention on middle east oil and not on energy.

Quit thinking “oil” America, and start thinking “energy”, and most of OUR problems are solved.

Some of ya’ll seem to know more about things than I do, so would we go to war if enough countries stopped trading for oil with the U.S.dollar? Saddam did it and we killed him, ol’ Moammar Quaddafi did it and now he ain’t around. And now Iminabaddinnerjacket is refusing to trade with the dollar, and we sure look like we’re trying to find a way to go to war with Iran. I don’t understand how all these things work, but I know because the dollar is what is used to trade oil, countries have to keep stockpiles of dollars on hand to buy oil, which is beneficial to the U.S. Would we go to war to protect that system?

To a point I agree with you. I believe that’s its not just the oil that where going to be fighting for. Because if that was the case then we wouldn’t have given Libya to the taliban. And I don’t believe that the REAL reason has NOTHING to do with Iran getting nukes. I think that we are playing a dangerous game with China, trying to control them threw there supply of oil. Its not going to work. There getting pissed at us and I don’t blame them either.

WWI almost ended just after the Somme. Both sides fought to a stand still with hundreds of thousands of casualties. A truce was almost brought about in 1916/17 because of the horrendous battle. However some idiot desided that America should finally pull there finger out and get involved and the war was prolonged!!! until November 1918!!

WWII, Americans stayed out for two and a half years before Japan pulled off a successful attack on Pearl Harbor, which finally “propelled” the US into the war. Oddly enough, it was oil interest in what was the Dutch East Indes (Present day Indonesia) and certain greedy sods who wanted to make sure that Japan didn’t get there hands on it that forced the Japanese hand!

So WWIII comes down to the same old. A bunch of greedy sods, mainly American and British and Jewish controlled corporates and eletists, who will once again, push us all into a nice money making scheme that will either see many butchered and the survivors left to foot the bill.

If the US could just mind there own business for a change, we might not end up having to fight WWIII. That however, does mean that the US will have to pay there bills for a change

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but Peak Oil is the be all, end all, of the infinite-growth financial system we currently live in. Cheap, easy to extract/refine oil peaked a few years ago and production is headed nowhere but down. We simply don’t have the time, technology, or money to develop shale and oil sands before everything collapses… just skip forward to 2:23:43 of Zeitgeist and hopefully you’ll understand… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9WVZddH9w

Oil production has peaked. Nuclear power is dangerous. The age of fossil fuels is over, but companies and nations don’t want to admit it. So, what’s next?
You are probably not aware that one of the greatest scientific transformations of all time is taking place in the field of production of electricity. Basically, it is now possible to produce more electricity from an advanced turbine generation system than is consumed in the process of electricity generation. I am the owner of the companies involved in this revolution. Many other countries, especially the US, Russia and China, are aware of these developments and have shown some interest because they have not been able to replicate the technology. However, they have dragged out negotiations for too long a period. OPEC, many Arab nations, oil companies, and the nuclear power industry are extremely determined to block this transformational technology and maintain the status quo.
I had two billionaire American investors who were very interested in investing, Because of intensive lobbying efforts by the energy industry and Arab leaders, who are determined to stop technological progress, they decided against investing. One billionaire even had all of his debt notes called by Arab investors.
The stakes are very high for the US and the rest of the world because without energy independence, the US and all other nations will continue to bleed money. Natural gas represents a partial alternative but will always be more expensive than the advanced power system.
Incidentally, the engineering estimates for the production costs per KWH are only .015 cents. This makes the new technology and its system the lowest cost producer. There is currently only a test system, number 14. It has proven the concept, but a production quality system, number 15, still needs to be produced. A production quality system needs to be built with money from investors. The system is initially for the production of electricity, but may be adapted and eventually down-sized to power cars, trains, and boats. It is also a zero emission system, 100% clean, and non-polluting.
As far as the issue of job creation is concerned, at the very worst there would be no negative impact in numbers. The new jobs would most likely involve higher level and paying skills.
The concept for the system and the initial design work were from my father, Floryan A. Lohutko, who just happened to create the silicon wafer chip at Xerox and the pulse engine for secret US aircraft.
This new technology is very real and has taken 30 years to develop. Can you see the need for a new Manhattan type program or a world-wide consortium? It would mean energy independence for all nations. Without energy independence, we will continue to be at the mercy of oil producing nations. Just count the cost.

While I commend you on the fact you are bringing this information into the ‘light’, I continue to be dismayed that all this brain power is not using the ancient technology which Tesla re-discovered.

This FREE fuel source would feed your generator and cost NOTHING to run.

This would truly be free energy for all, but as long as humans desire to control mankind with a “you owe me” attitude, freedom is truly just a fleeting thought.

Electricity is what powers our bodies and the universe is one that operates at infinite frequencies.

Imagine that energy is entirely free to heat, cook, transport and so on! What would mankind achieve?

Unfortunately you have found first hand how the shadow that “great men dare not discuss in the light of day” has stifled even your own situation. Until this is overcome, mankind will suffer to its’ dying day.

Maybe hell has risen to control here on earth. This hell is deathly fearful of a free man.

I did read somewhere a prediction that Iran would make it possible for terrorists to explode a nuclear device in a city (in Europe, Israel or even Mecca!) and this would cause enormous worldwide shock but life would eventually go on. Also, there would be a retaliation nuclear strike (goodbye, Tehran!), which would pretty much (I would think and hope) be the death of the Ayatollah/IRGC/Basij regime that has been terrorizing (torturing, raping, murdering) Iran’s people since 1979.

That’s what it’s been all ablout since our use of the military on the Barbery Coast to save private enterprise ships that refused to pay off the pirates. War has always been a rackett for the large corporations that run our country. Our leaders say it’s for democracy and freedom just to get our dumb asses to volunteer to fight. But do members of Congress or big business send their sons? NEVER! It’s always been about the money. Read USMC Gen. S. Butler’s book “War Is A Rackett”. He was a double recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. It’s a little dated, but the game hasn’t changed. Years later, even Gen/Pres. Eisenhower warned us about it in his famous speech about the military-industrial complex. It’s all B.S. for corporate profits.

Gregory8….bingo, well said. I read War is a Racket years ago still have it, great book very sobering.

There is also a YT reenactment video of his most famous speech for those to lazy to read the mere 15 or so pages in the book.

How many Americans would buy IBM products if they knew IBM while at the same time making rifles, radios, typewriters and other items for the US military, they were also assisting the Germans, with cataloging the jews and stream lining the rail system.

How many Americans would have voted for either Bush had they know Grandaddy Prescott Bush of Union Banking Company was a Nazi collaborator and helped finance Hitlers rise to power.

I have only one question! wen will the relies the emans amount of oil from the alaska north slops wich can droun USA for the next 200 jhr.s O ja i fergot the cant admit that this oil exist, sins ther filthi litle sicrit! Wich is the world has to by ther oil with the fake monapoly worthless currency!In other word’s the datnots. Ihe almighty dollar .And wen a souvern nation desid’s the du not want to juse that worthless currence, the are the bad gay and the must be delth with.Ther are only 4 oficial bad boy’s the are 1,iran-2,irac 3,venecuela-and finaly libia-and we all know wat happens to noty little boys that disobay oncel Sam USAsee irac and libia. Thata all i have to say to this schenanigan! jousr’s Kukuk!

He’s right, folks – underground bunkers aren’t much more than elaborate mausoleums. They can be blocked-off, and it’s not as easy to defend from one as you may think. Most bunkers are designed with one entrance, two at the most, and you have to come out sometime…

I suppose it depends on who all knows about any bunker you might prepare to hide out in. If you’ve advertised that you have a bunker as your plan, or even allowed any official knowledge that you’ve built it, then you’re likely right. Smart people don’t do those things, though. A well-hidden bunker that nobody knows about is much more difficult to block off and has far less need of defense.

A bunker is by no means a permanent solution…but it could be a good idea to help get you through a very bad period of time.

I agree on one premise: That sometimes they are necessary on a temporary basis if the outside is poisonous, or dangerous to life or limb (examples: nuclear war, pandemic, Yellowstone eruption, asteroid strike, etc).

However, they are certainly not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Certainly a well-concealed bunker could be passed by, but unless you build it yourself, it’s a known item. The contractors who built it will know about it, for starters.

The sooner we close these boarders the better.In fact with all of the cyber s**t going on ,november can’t get here soon enough.Lets just hope it’s not too late by then.Our precious security has already been comprimised.It is time that the homeland security either do what it is intended to do ,or dump it along with obamacare.I just hope we can get enough people behind RON PAUL to change the way this great country is heading.Look at Romans….I’m not to sure i like the contrast right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the presidential subject, anyone “elected” put in office is one of the New World Order boys. Ron Paul may be simply playing as the opposition guy to give the illusion that there are actual sides in politics, when in reality there is not. Say Ron Paul was actually the guy he says he is and wanted to bring America to it’s true Constitutional State, do you really think he would be allowed to continue living. Remember Kennedy anyone? Good ol’ John F. was going to do away with the CIA and expose a lot of lies to the American people and we know what happened to him, and that has been many years ago. In comparison, just look at how corrupt we are now and then ask yourself, “Does an honest man stand a chance for President or any other political office?” Then you will answer with a NO, because he will never get into the race to begin with. It’s all just one big game people, all one elaborate ruse. Time to stop playing.

For those thumbing me down, I would like to know why you believe Ron Paul is not “UNELECTABLE”? Or do you have no ability to write about your viewpoint? Probably the latter, I know, snicker, snicker…..

It is refreshing to meet someone here who also believes Paul is unelectable. Like abstinence before marriage, he is a good idea and everyone would be better off, but few have the discipline to commit.

I recently conducted a poll asking whether one would rather go without food for two weeks now or three weeks at a random date in the future. Not one person chose to take the hit today to be spared future (and greater) pain.

If Ron Paul is not a (PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE) in 2012 I will not vote. It is my belief that if the American people are so ignorant, that they let the main stream media and the establishment pick their next presidential candidate they deserve to live in that hell!

A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion. Grantland Rice ~

We can all be fairly certain that Ron Paul will not be on the Nov. 2012 ballot. Rather than not voting, however, you can do what I did in the last presidential election. Show up and write-in Ron Paul. Granted it’s a token gesture, but I do believe it’s the right thing to do.

The presstitutes fail to tell us that the cyber wars are like a world war in itself.Russia,china,..wtf I would be extreemly careful with farmland. Or any other open web community.Hackers are our enemy right now.Be carefull

I have already done as Faber suggests. While I have precious metals set aside to buy more tillable acres, the defensible rural property independent of fossil fuel is operational. I have lived near the poverty line for years despite earning many times more. I am middle-age, yet my children are toddlers so if we go to war it is with the hope that in twenty years my children will have a better life.

NOTICE TO BARACK OBAMA
OK ENOUGH IS ENOUGH…REPEAL THE DAMNED NDAA AND THE PATRIOT ACT..NOW! YOU ARE INCITING RAGE, CHAOS AND NUCLEAR WAR… I WILL NOT QUIETLY PUT UP WITH THIS SO LONG AS I AM ON THIS PLANET…. YOU NEED TO REPEAL THESE ACTS ..LIKE NOW.. TO SHOW US YOU ARE SERIOUS THAT YOU WILL NOT GO DOWN THIS NUCLEAR PATH… YOU REALLY NEED TO BRING ALL TROOPS HOME TOO… THE TIME HAS RUN OUT… THIS IS THE ONLY THING THAT WILL BRING SOME STABILITY FOR NOW.

He is not for the people and never has been. He has proved that time and time again with each new order he signs with each right we have that he has given away. Seems the only people that we are allowed to vote for come from the “NWO”
group and are hand picked for us. They get in return for sacking us people a special membership in a club where they are privy to all the inside track so they can invest in enterprises that make them multi millionaires. They blow money on lunches and dinners and parties that would have fed thousands. They have gained admitance to a special club of skulls and bones. Their just rewards will be hell in the next life in exchange for heaven in this short life.

I am watching this from South Africa. Hopefully we will be too insignificant to target. If it happens and we survive, I will learn to speak the language of the victors (Chinese/Russian? Hopefully I can stick to English).
The Military Industrial complex thrives on war. They produce and then sell weapons to both sides, but do keep the best for themselves just in case their own country/countries get involved in a massive bust-up.
The problem is that nowadays you cannot just orchestrate a neat little limited war. There is speculation about Iran’s nuclear program. How can anyone be sure they have not bought (or have not been sold/given) nuclear weapons by countries from behind the old iron curtain.
Do they have the necessary delivery capability? Forget missiles and such. These are difficult to produce and can be shot down. However, does anyone check all imported pieces of heavy machinery to see what might be inside. What might be hidden in the holds of ships in your harbours? Suicide bombers with nuclear capability tends to take all the fun out of watching the newest war on CNN or whatever.
If you think this is too far-fetched, remember that South Africa produced nuclear weapons (I think 9; google it) during the apartheid era. These were later dismantled, but other countries can do the same. India/Pakistan/North Korea have already done so.
If some of you think you will have some fun with your sniper or assault rifle when it all starts, think again. It might be better to be blown up outright rather than to die from radiation poisoning.
Confucius says: War does not determine who is right, war determines who is left!

When the Iranians get the atomic “B” like they are doing right now, you can expect some more SHTF. They are a people with very short fuzes and besides they want to see all those virgins after they detonate.

Ron Paul was actually booed when he suggested we follow the golden rule when it comes to foreign policy !!
PLENTY of “useful idiots” in America
let them send their sons to die in unnecessary wars of choice

@Satori -I found it strange the crowd boo’d when he said we should follow the golden rule of not doing to other nations what we don’t want them to do to us, and when he said we don’t need more wars and need to get out of the ones we are in they cheered happily!

Useful idiots indeed, I think the folks in the crowd were expecting him to say something different, so they automatically boo’d because they did not hear what he ACTUALLY said in the beginning. When it sank in and was congruent with what followed his beginning statement, they cheered.

I agree, let them send their children into unnecessary wars if they believe it is a great idea for our nation to continue to be warmongers!

It may have started, who is to say? I think we will see interesting times.
All I know is to keep on, keepin on. And to me that means to prepare for whatever. That is the way I was raised and it is the way I raise my progeny.

I didn’t put up any food this weekend, had three days off my day job as of MLK day. So I spent it working on the UNITS for peeps. I got disgusted Saturday morning as a couple of the units, I kept having leak problems with. I’d fix one leak and another would pop up. Finally, I said F-it, even though it cost me time and money, I refuse to let a product go out to people who may be relying on it at a time of need, that I believe may be sub-standard. So I scrapped the material and started over with thicker (more than double the wall thickness) and I’m happy to say I was able to almost catch up to where I was, in the next 2 and a half days with the couple of units I was having trouble with. Anyone with an interest can go to the website and view the progress as I posted new photos taken late yesterday. I’m also happy to say, anyone with a vested interest will be getting more capacity than ordered. On the smaller ones maybe double? Time will tell.

For the peeps that have the free snares coming, please have patience, I’ve been so busy welding, I have not had time to make the new snares.

Although disaster may be coming, I think we have a little of time left to prepare.

All I know is to keep doing what I’ve always done. Hone my outdoor skills, prep the land, continue my self education, develop my skills, help peeps, keep the canning up and work as much as I can while I can. If something does happen, I think there will be times where all we do is wait. Although, even then I’ll find something to mess around with….lol.

The future is merely the past revisited. We have had countless wars since the bomb and only one went nuclear and even they rebuilt. America was pretty happy after we won the war by dropping the bomb. There will always be wars and rumors of wars. I can only do my part by raising my family in a low target area in a state without reactors and hope for the best. He who has no hope, has nothing.

yeah? well it is easy for you to say “hope hope hope” what will you do in, say, my place?
next door to Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, read – one of number 1 targets in any future WW3. and it has so many targets in it, that the whole Lithuania would be covered by fallout twice over. and we are to the east of it btw… this means 99.99% chance that we get that fallout. I have no delusions that US or NATO would not bomb the shit out of Kaliningrad because there is one insignificant NATO member to the east of it. they will actually would bomb our soil to. because in any future WW3 main supply routes to Kaliningrad and westfront (from russian perspective) would go through Lithuania. it would require up to 5 nuclear devices in the range of around 400Kt to 1Mt to accomplish the task. I know they would do it, because that is the way professional soldiers think (especially those with a lot of brass on the shoulders and shit in their heads)
besides there is shit load of nuclear powerplants in Germany and France, and after two weeks we would be sparkling like christmas lights when their reactors and fuel rod processing plants melt down. and they would, because I see no way that those technicians stay to operate those plants after the bombs drop.
I just watched one disturbing video on tube with shots of “democraticized” children in Iraq and Afghanistan, so my level of “hope” is pretty low. in fact I see of no reason why such civilization as ours should be allowed to continue.
Do you know that with every technological increase in the weaponry, from swords to cruise missiles collateral damage in fact increased by thousand times…

Easier said than done.
Too many are still interested in a pissing contest. We did not evolve enough yet as species to live and let live.
And there is way too much paranoia, happily fed to sheeple and those calling themselves “awake” by lamestream media.

Every generation needs a good world war. Try and imagine the world at peace. It just won’t happen. Humans are too greedy and self centered. I feel for my children and my grandchildren, but, so did my parents and their parents before them.

It seems to me that TPTB have started WW111 a long time ago. Covertly, disguised as the war on terror, weapons of mass destruction, supposed humanitarian reasons etc. Now we in the US are even under the jackboot and are considered the enemy. The US has been in every country in the mideast and has eliminated world leaders with many more to come as previously planned 20 or more years ago. The final act ,which will be the nukes, and whoever is crazy enough to start it will be the finish.
Reading the various blogs brings up some other disturbing trends which may or may not be (to my cynical eye anyway) a way to soften up the resolve of any upcoming economy. This is regarding biological warfare. India is an up and coming ecomomy and is now dealing with a TB problem that is going rampant. Not long ago we had H5N1. There have been many other instances of new strains here and there which makes me curious. With the control of the money supply being the most important thing to TPTB, strange things always happen to those who rock the boat (try their own currency, deal with other countries directly without using the reserve currency, barter, or even try a gold backed currency) and we, through the MSM, are told what to think and swallow as to why we blew them up. Lately we have been getting a lot of new contagions and a lot of new vaccines to “help”, which to my eye, are part of the problem as well. Google “dead microbiologists” and see where that rabbit hole goes.

Covert WW111 has been going on for a long time and sooner, not later, I would think the nukes would fly and that Faber is right.

Now its another 5 years…..talk about kicking the can down the road……the DOOM CLUB seems to do that with their economic collapse and martial law and ww3 theories quite frequently! I have been saying forever that we won’t go to war with Iran and in 5 years they will further kick the can. But I am the nutjob

Mr B : one of the factors I watch is volume. The volume has been down for a long…long time. There is a lot of $$ on the sidelines. I personally think that is the smart place to be…..unless you are a Gambler. If you are the type that likes to go to Las Vegas…takes 4 Grand…..& win loose or draw you can maintain your strategy….then fine. Play the market…but only with funds that if it all evaporates next week…..you are good with that. Kind of like lending money to family. You pretty much need to figure that it is gone….& if it comes back then be surprised & happy . I like metals…Silver, gold, & lead. If U have plenty of food preps…..then invest in barter items….. I have found that being in control in my destiny…..allows me to sleep well at night !
Montgomery County Texas

it IS about oil. it IS about egos unchecked. it IS about overpopulation.

the next world war– already well-underway, if you’re not paying attention– will be about many things, so much that it’ll be hard to keep up with.

which is why it’s not just wise, but essential to begin disengaging from it all right now. the more you disengage, the farther off the grid you can get, the better your chances are of survival. no, not everyone will survive. that’s easy to understand.

if you’re clinging to ‘hope’, let it go. ‘hope’ insinuates you don’t have any idea of the outcome. know your outcome. win first, then fight…but avoid confrontation until absolutely necessary.

Some interesting ponts on here today. Burt is my made up name Ron. I am a fifty something female, with a young kid, man left. An only child with no support other than what I do for myself and my child. I live on a rock that is really not that big when you think about it, some 700×210 miles, a rock where weapons are illegal.

I prepare as best I can for what ever eventualities we may face in the future, however, having considered all of the above I will say that I have to have hope, the odds are pretty well stacked against me, and probably most of my country folk ,it wouldn’t take that many nukes to pollute this country to the point where it is uninhabitable.

I will fight to the death for my child, but I really do hope that it doesn’t come to that. I may be stupid for thinking like this in the eyes of many who read these blogs, but that is their choice, hope helps on the days when things are tough, hope gives me a brighter personal outlook .

Hope and prayer are in my life daily, just as buying extra food and water are a daily ritual.

It was you people who taught me that I should hope for the best and prepare for the worst, and although I don’t have the means to do anything near what I would like to. I agree with most of your post, but really believe that hope should never be lost.

Anything you buy today will be taken away tomorrow. Your land, your guns, your food, your livestock, your crops, your seeds, your water, your gold, your silver, your children. One way or another–by government forces, by rogue gangs, by waves of urban migrants, by your own community for the “good of all.” There will be no escape in the collapse scenario.

None of us is Eli in BOOK OF ELI. We are not that guy. We are not LEGEND. We are not “the Man” in THE ROAD. Or the hero of ENEMIES, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, or Mad Max, or anything like that. We are just people with families who, because of our nature, will strive to survive. We will likely do very bad things if the S really does HTF, all in the name of survival.

If it gets that ugly, be sure you have enough rounds and the wherewithal to put a bullet in the heads of those you love and your own head, because, as was often said during the Cold War, “the survivors will envy the dead.”

Will we ever get to that point? Honestly, I don’t think it will happen like the apocalyptic literature anticipates. Our nation is going to change as it figures out how to manage the 21st Century world, a rising China, rogue regimes, anti-Americanism, a desperate Russia, terrorist cells all over the world. . . WE, THE PEOPLE will have to make choices about what government we want. Will we elect men like Joe Lieberman and HM Barack Obama? Or will we elect men and women who will fight, and die if necessary, to preserve liberty, private property, and free enterprise?

I would urge you all to get VERY involved with local politics. Much of what most impacts your lives occurs locally. Branch out from there. If you can take back your City Council, maybe you can then take back the County Board of Supervisors. Then maybe consolidate and ensure the police, fire, schools, and so forth are run by liberty-loving people. After that, try wielding power further and further outward. But secure your local community first. Your local community, by the way, is the community that will mean the most if the S does HTF. Communities, if strong together, would have a chance in the doomsday TEOTWAWKI scenario (ONE SECOND AFTER).

In any case, the most important thing to do is tell your spouse and children and brothers and sisters and parents you love them. Do good for them every day. Practice decency in your lives. And prepare to meet your Maker.

APACHE KID- I watched a Ron Paul wipe the floor against the other GOP members in the debate last night. Today I watched the Lame Stream Media prestitutes give lots of lip service to all but Paul -when they did show Paul, they showed only the blip where the crowd boo’d him, not the rest of the cheering as he completed his answer to the question about bringing the troops home.

The internet is powerful, but the majority are not getting their info from there. I think I should also mention Fox had tried to blackout Paul and Twitter blew up with folks angry about it, forcing them to report on Paul.

How can most Americans understand Dr. Paul’s message if they don’t even get to hear it, or if they do hear any of it, it is so warped and taken out of context by the LSM they don’t get the whole picture. The fact is, most folks don’t have the time to go chasing around for information and they rely of the LSM because they don’t know they are being manipulated by them. It is sad the media are bought and paid for and folks who rely on them for reporting are being outright misled and lied to. I wish it weren’t this way, but it is what it is.

I agree with you 110% I have personally donated to the Ron Paul campaign. I am a huge Ron Paul supporter and like most military people I do understand what he is saying. I really like your comment above and would like to quote you on it on my facebook page. That is if it’s cool with you, I will quote you on it.

russia is doing some bait and switch.The Iran people are playing around in russia and south america. I really think something is in the work’s.China well look’s bad all around look’s like one of the old bond movie’s.Some thing will happen and soon.Prepping seem’s to be the thing to do Now!

Its not the general populace of a country thats at or going to war..its the governments of these countries using us as pawns to go to war

its their propaganda selling war

I have traveled to other countries, and met many average people..none of them want war or are against a group..
Most common people just want a way to provide for their families, and to live left alone.

Its not americans who are at war with other nationalities its our government against their government using its citizens as the tool of war

and same goes for other countries..its their government agaist another government

I bet if the governments would get their noses out of other countries buisneses, there wouldnt be war, (like thats ever going to happen) war is buisness and they see nothing but money in it

Average common man no matter where you go want peace and to provide for their family, and to be left alone..they really dont care what your doing..were all tryng to do the same thing..survive

The PTB is/are covering up / diverting attention from the irreversible decline of the remaining giant fields still in production. Cantarell is in Decline, the North Sea- in Decline, ANWR- In decline. Gahwar in decline. [source...ASPO] Price per gallon will go up, then the Demand will be destroyed when users cannot afford it. The user will borrow as much as possible (Credit Card debt) to offset the lack of wage the worker Class has not had since 1970 priors. The state, local and federal governments will continue to tax (take) from the common man via hidden taxes in the electricity, sewer, water, cable, telephone, food bills further reducing the available income. Austerity will re-appear in the American home(less) by necessity rather than choice.

Have you noticed that Wally World has changed how they stock products? No overhead inventories anymore. When it’s gone you “wait till the truck comes in”.

Export capacity is the ceiling of ice in the river we’re currently swimming under. We’re almost to the point of just finding an air-bubble under the ice from which to catch our next breath.

So let’s continue to make war against ghosts! Let’s continue to make war against a lowly plant (cannabis). Let’s SEE if we can arrest 10% of America for the personal use of a plant.

Something interesting – the foothills of the Sierras in California are abuzz with real estate activity. In the desirable areas with acreage, home are “Pending” the very same day they are listed on MetroList.

Sociopathic people, there are plenty of them in the US elite and government. As for the war itself, I think this time it will not last 4-5-6 years. In a few hours and at most in a few days the outcome will be known. The advice about leaving large metropoles, cities makes sense. Because if there is war they will first hit for sure the higly populated areas and military bases. So avoid the vicinity of military bases too:)

Just wanted to add two comments to this interesting article. One, in response to Old Questioner, the Civil War never settled anything so the issues were never resolved. A humorous case in point was the premiere of Gone With the Wind in Atlanta. When the Yankee soldier was shot by Scarlett there was a standing ovation in the audience. That was in 1939 or 74 yrs after the war. The North did the same thing to the South that happened to post WWI Germany when the allies occupied Germany: military government. The history books say that the beginnings of WW II began with what happened immediately after WW I. With that in mind, the forecast of a breakup of the U.S. is certainly possible because the issue of the Civil War is still there: states rights. Second, I took a nuclear politics, a masters level course many years ago. One of the required readings was a book on what it would take to start WW III with possible scenerios. Most of those presented had to do with the Middle East.

Queen Victoria is still on the throne – meaning no Madonna or or Playboy around, the Titanic wasn’t even conceived yet, let alone the Wright brother’s aeroplane or Boeing’s Dreamliner; Archduke Ferdinand was just perfecting waxing his mustache in the cosmpolitan headquarters of the world, Vienna in the leading empire of the world, Austro-Hungary. The internet was Mr. Morse and his code, and the 160 MILLION various forms of socialism & communism would kill still had their intellectual underpinnings being developed.

Will we see change like that? Probably. Of course, we could return, too, to another Dark Age. This may also be the generation that the Lord returns. We don’t know, but knowing history, keeping prepared, and keeping the faith is incumbent upon all of us in these times.

Human beings are genetic mutants. We went from living in caves to having the ability for self-annihilation in a few thousand years (a micro second in evolutionary terms). If that mutation was an error, Mother Nature will correct it, with extreme prejudice.

War is serious, serious business! If you haven’t experienced it, it’s truly terrifying! I’ve seen some guys start crying and jump into a foxhole “without” their weapons because they were so terrified from incoming mortar rounds. If you people knew how truly terrifying war is, you wouldn’t be sitting around just waiting for it to happen. You should tell every young person who thinks joining the military is defending his country or the right thing to do, you’d better tell him or her to check themselves. It’s a bullshit con job! War is all about corporations making tons on money along with their corrupt politicians raking it in also. Don’t be fooled by thinking another war will be limited to “over there.” You people had better get out into the streets and let these crooked, evil bastards know that you’re not going to sit back and let them destroy the earth and the future of man kind. This is no bullshit. These people are crazy, to include Obama, Romney, Perry, Gingrich, Santorum, all of these jerks. Once again, ware is serious, serious business. What are you going to do if the shit truly hits the fan here on american soil because these people, our government, continues attacking other countries who have not done anything to us, nor have the capability to attack us, but have made it their top priority to get some pay back because of our arrogance? I say again, these people have to be stopped.

Finally, someone sounds like we can and should actually DO something to change the path we are on. Together, assuming there are enough people that understand what Greg just said are out there, people can turn things around. A lot needs to be changed and it starts with just one person. Nothing is impossible. People have to stop looking outside of their own self and start looking inside for the answers. Mankind has to learn that we all have infinate potential and there is no external power be it governments or dieties that will help us or that can stop us. Mankind has to learn that we are all the same and we all have the same right to live. The governments and various religious organizations do not want people to know this truth. They want you to work for their gain, worship them, trust in them and pay them to watch over you. When you know the truth you will know they were all lying to you. You will know you do not need them, and they will lose their control, power and livlihood and the people will know what it is to be free. After people understand this and accept it as fact, WE can plan together what changes are needed for world peace. Once we have the plan, we can impliment it, peacefully. It is actually a lot easier to live in peace than to live with war and it is the logical and correct path to follow. Think about it and look inside your own self, study, learn and you can understand. The environment around us is just a reflection of our lives, when we change, it will change at the same time. We should never give up and we should always seek the truth. I think Ron Paul does have a chance even if the cards are stacked against him. He is not perfect, but he does not give up and he is the one speaking loudest against war, except for maybe Greg. Good blog Greg.

People, please quit talking about “oil”. Oil is a distraction. The PTB want you to think its all about oil. Oil is energy.

Its about ideology. That ideology is Crony Capitalism.

Oil equals energy. There is an abundance if energy available to America, and the rest of the world too.

Solar is now 90% efficient. If WE spent a FRACTION of the trillion dollar subsidy that the hydrocarbon industry gets every year on wind, solar, and tidal power, WE would have energy to export to the rest of the world.

What kind of solar? Thin-film photovoltaic cells are only 10% efficient. Silicon PV is only about 17-20% efficient, and only up to 40% in the lab. You can get up to 90% efficiency in thermal-solar solutions, but those require some big honkin’ arrays and a very powerful boiler tower.

If it was about ideology, we would be fighting plenty of bad guys in Asia, Africa and Mexico.

Every economic system in every country in the world is based in the Infinite Growth Paradigm that requires infinate amounts of cheap energy. There is no growth, because of the greater energy input required to get harder to obtain resources.

These political leaders are soon to be extinct dinos and they don’t even know it. They gave no clue what is happening to them.

Infinite Growth is not possible on a planet with seven billion people. The reason we have so many people is we have had an unlimited amount of cheap fossil fuel energy. The energy required to obtain that fuel is increasing rapidly and the net energy return is decreasing.

With ten calories of fossil fuel embedded in every calorie of food that makes it to our table, how can anyone say that is sustainable with seven billion people on the planet? The cost of food is rising around the world very rapidly.

Watch the third world where in many countries half of what they make goes to purchase food. That is where the die off will start. We will always have food because we can out buy most of the world, but it will be very expensive as collapse continues.

TTBT: I don’t disagree with anything you said except that it IS about ideology. Here’s why.

If Africa or Mexico had developed a civilization contrary to Crony Capitalism controlled by the GB’s and capable of challenging them for world dominance, then WE would, indeed, be fighting wars in Africa and/or Mexico.

Ever heard of AFRICOM?

Yes there are limits to growth. Wars are a efficient way to eliminate grazers and make a buck at the same time.

Wars are good for the profit of the GB’s and the multinationals. There will be many profit opportunities there in Africa during the next decade.

Discussion has got a bit spread out.
There is one very good reason to go to war with China. It holds most US debt, which obviously would be cancelled. However, from day one you can forget about the internet and can anyone and/or business run without it? Just imagine the financial and industrial chaos and what about movement of food stuffs. Chaos would run rife in the west, but in an authoritarian country things can be organised in the old way quite quickly. It’s anyone’s guess who would win if it became a shooting war; China (and the world) can stand the loss of 300 million people, the US cannot. It’s simple math and a significant world population reduction viewed callously and dispassionately would benefit the earth as a whole. That said, don’t fancy the in between bit at all, or my odds of surviving unless in Australasia or VERY South America.

Daedalus: There is no good reason for US to go to war with China or them with US. That conflict has been rendered irrational by the financial partnership between the CCP and the GB’s.

There have had many discussions here about the possibility of war with China. Currently, and for the foreseeable future, such fears are irrational.

China has everything to lose and nothing to gain by war with the US. Natural Chinese expansion is to Siberia for resources, and the rice belt for food.Neither are they a credible military threat to US at this time.

WE are their natural partners, competitors, and CUSTOMERS. After all, “wealth is glorious” to coin a phrase.

Greg is 100% right, war is atrocious and it has nothing to do with oil.
While the debate is going on I am building a far away concrete house on a tropical farm here in the Philippines.
When the SHTF I will be ready for at least a few years.
Yes, the war is pre-planned and I expect it to start in 2016. So do not waste time, look for a cave while there are still “vacancies”.

I no longer ask myself if I’m ready for the apocalypse to pass…….I now ask if the apocalypse is ready for me….

Imagine the riteous force held by America’s millions of patriotic Christian gun owners….

So long as we maintain our morals and live by the constitutional code and God’s word in the way we treat one another….when the political center doesn’t hold we can all survive this coming catastrophe and right our political course in time to hold-off foreign occupation.

In the meantime however…we must vote for the version of capitalism/democracy that will not take away our weapons and our freedom of information…

Anything you buy today will be taken away tomorrow. Your land, your guns, your food, your livestock, your crops, your seeds, your water, your gold, your silver, your children. One way or another–by government forces, by rogue gangs, by waves of urban migrants, by your own community for the “good of all.” There will be no escape in the collapse scenario.

None of us is Eli in BOOK OF ELI. We are not that guy. We are not LEGEND. We are not “the Man” in THE ROAD. Or the hero of ENEMIES, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC, or Mad Max, or anything like that. We are just people with families who, because of our nature, will strive to survive. We will likely do very bad things if the S really does HTF, all in the name of survival.

If it gets that ugly, be sure you have enough rounds and the wherewithal to put a bullet in the heads of those you love and your own head, because, as was often said during the Cold War, “the survivors will envy the dead.”

Will we ever get to that point? Honestly, I don’t think it will happen like the apocalyptic literature anticipates. Our nation is going to change as it figures out how to manage the 21st Century world, a rising China, rogue regimes, anti-Americanism, a desperate Russia, terrorist cells all over the world. . . WE, THE PEOPLE will have to make choices about what government we want. Will we elect men like Joe Lieberman and HM Barack Obama? Or will we elect men and women who will fight, and die if necessary, to preserve liberty, private property, and free enterprise?

I would urge you all to get VERY involved with local politics. Much of what most impacts your lives occurs locally. Branch out from there. If you can take back your City Council, maybe you can then take back the County Board of Supervisors. Then maybe consolidate and ensure the police, fire, schools, and so forth are run by liberty-loving people. After that, try wielding power further and further outward. But secure your local community first. Your local community, by the way, is the community that will mean the most if the S does HTF. Communities, if strong together, would have a chance in the doomsday TEOTWAWKI scenario (ONE SECOND AFTER).

In any case, the most important thing to do is tell your spouse and children and brothers and sisters and parents you love them. Do good for them every day. Practice decency in your lives. And prepare to meet your Maker.

To the point of this article: whatever the motivations behind a WW3, it is true that a large part of it would be cyber warfare. Case in point, the STUXNET virus. Likely created by the Israelis with US support it jumped the barrier between digital and analog by causing the brick-n-mortar infrastructure of the Iranian nuclear facility to burn out.

Similar attacks on our infrastructure, combined with the dependence on digital control and administration for said resources, would have strong potential for a domino effect with regard to the energy grid, payroll processing, inventory systems, supply systems, and on down the line. Knock out the servers that provide the essential services and you can bring it all down long enough for conventional methods to be much more effective.

The clandestinely government supported Russian and Chinese hackers are daily engaged in cyber sorties feeling out our security and winning battles here and there. The MSM reports on it. Check it out.

I make my living off of technology, so don’t think I’m a Luddite. Just being realistic.

That’s why I’m a well rounded survivalist and prepper. Prepare for Dramatic Change Events and Protect The Ones You Love if they happen. And try to not lose those aspects of ourselves that are the worthwhile elements of the human experience. If/when the SHTF, those characteristics will be in short supply as well.

Oddly enough, given the topic, this has discussion has had the most positive tone of any I’ve seen here in a while. I’ve appreciated your perspectives, even if I don’t agree with them all, and learned as a result. I especially appreciate those of the international commenters. It adds much needed perspective from folks like us.

Tonight I started reading “Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defense if it All Falls Apart”. Portions of it will be things that some of you already know, but I’m learning more and it’s a great refresher. If you aren’t familiar with military and defense tactics, especially as they can be used with regard to defending home and hearth, then get a copy. Recommended.

SS thanks so much for weighing in. Your perspective is much appreciated!

I agree, the Internet and our modern day communications infrastructure will be the first to go… The first signs of trouble for the general populace will likely come from the digital realm. Richard Clark threw out the number ’15 minutes’ for how long It would take to cripple the Internet infrastructure of the US. Not so sure about that, but my guess is that if you target the right nodes – ecommerce, utility operations and refineries, GPS, web dns servers, and mobile communications networks, etc – that you could do significant damage in under 24 hours, with panic setting in within 48 hours… Like you said, They have been hammering our networks already with attacks, info grabs, and experimentation, and they probably have entire military units (as do we) working on this 24/7.

The head of US cyber security at the pentagon said a few days ago that we really can’t protect our military networks from a serious onslaught (paraphrasing as I don’t have the article right in front of me). Heck, someone dropped a virus that compromised the entire drone fleet late last year, so what more evidence do we need about how susceptible and totally open to a crippling attack we are?

I’m gonna put in a bullet, pull the trigger and shoot to thrill, play to kil! And reading God’s Girlfriend on Amazon Kindle now and it wrasps this all up in an excellent economic doomsday scenario with a real day modern twist that scares the heeb-be-gee-bees outta me. God Bless America!

I think it’s about keeping the power of the empire of the west, and the Dr is right ! The oil is the blood line to any country in our age and it’s the only logical outcome to control China without actually signing for war. If you look at Israel and Iran with Iran’s nuclear program it’s a convenient excuse to Invade Iran which 90% of China’s oil comes from Iran. Russia has warned NATO and the UN that any military action from the west as a response to Iran’s Nuclear program they will retaliate in full vengeance, and of course China will have to go to war because it will cripple their supply so you see Lady’s and Gents the good Dr is correct. It’s a sad world we live in

America has gone too far. They’ve gotten involved into every other countries business, and now they’re in economic failure. They’ve basically dug their own hole.
And it is because of their involvment that anti-Americanism has risen.
The American people have to realise that, you can’t save everyone. You just can’t go around trying to implement democracy into every country. Let them rule themselves however they seem fit.
WWIII is close. It will happen sooner or later, but it will happen.
Hitler once said “my country will be defeated and divided in half, but one day, it will be reunited, and the German people will rise to take revenge.” Although I might not be accurate about what he actually said, he has mentioned the reunification of Germany and the rise to power. And although most people disagree with their rise, I agree that one day, they will be back to take revenge and they will destroy the “Great American People”.

The content on this site is provided as general information only. The ideas expressed on this site are solely the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of sponsors or firms affiliated with the author(s). The author may or may not have a financial interest in any company or advertiser referenced. Any action taken as a result of information, analysis, or advertisement on this site is ultimately the responsibility of the reader.

SHTFplan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.